Indian Dhal with Homemade Flatbread

Dhal, dahl, dal, daal – one beloved dish, many names.

Beautifully spiced, hearty and quick to make, this Indian classic is hard to resist. Serve with rice, or as shown with homemade flatbread, or traditional naan.

Servings: 6 Prep time: 30 min Cooking time: 60 min

Ingredients

Dhal

2 onions

6 cloves garlic

80 g fresh ginger

1 fresh chili

2 tbsp light miso

2 tsp garam masala

5 tsp curry paste

2 carrots

400 g red lentils

7 dl water

1 can coconut milk

2 cans chopped tomatoes

juice of 1–2 limes

olive oil for frying

Topping

250 g creme fraiche

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 jar pickled red onions

2 fresh limes

6 tsp black sesame seeds

100 g salted almonds

Flatbread (or 6 store-bought ones)

1 dl water

1 dl plain yogurt

15 g yeast

4.5 dl wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

a handful of scallions, parsley or similar

oil for frying

Instructions

Flatbread

1. Mix the yeast in the water and yogurt in a large mixing bowl – preferably using an electric mixer.

2. Add flour and salt and mix the dough well until smooth, but it should be neither too sticky nor too stiff.

3. Finally, stir in the pressed garlic and finely chopped herbs into the dough, cover the bowl and let it rise on the kitchen counter for 1 hour.

Dhal

1. Finely chop the onions, chili and carrots, and grate the garlic and ginger.

2. Fry these (except the carrots) well in olive oil in the cast iron pot until the onions are translucent.

3. Add miso, garam masala and curry paste and let it fry for a couple of minutes until dissolved.

4. Now add the carrots together with the lentils and let it fry for a couple of minutes.

5. Add water, coconut milk and chopped tomatoes to the cast iron pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat.

6. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until it has a lovely creamy consistency. Stir occasionally every 5 minutes.

Flatbread, continued

1. Dust flour on the counter and divide the dough into 6 pieces.

2. Roll them out with a rolling pin so they are about 0.5 cm thick and fry them on both sides in oil on a frying pan.

Serving

1. Stir in the lime juice into the dhal before serving and top it with creme fraiche, fresh cilantro, pickled red onions, black sesame seeds, chopped salted almonds and of course with the delicious flatbread on the side.